Field of the Invention
The present disclosure describes a novel product for mold prevention and treatment.
Description of the Related Art
Molds play an important role in the recycling of natural resources by breaking down dead organic matter. The presence of molds in the natural environment is thus extremely important. However, if molds are present indoors or grow on or inside structures, they can create various problems including a detrimental effect on health and structural integrity. Thus prevention of mold growth is an important challenge.
Molds reproduce by means of spores. These spores are invisible to the naked eye and readily disperse through outdoor and indoor air. Molds may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on wet surfaces. There are many types of molds, but all require moisture to grow.
Mold growth in homes and other buildings often causes suffering for individuals using the affected properties. Mold damage may also create large economic losses, as remediation of mold-affected structures often requires extensive effort. In some cases, it is impracticable to treat a structure and thus demolition is the only realistic option to resolve a mold problem.
For example, cleanup after a flood may involve thorough washing and disinfecting of the flooded area, including walls, floors, closets, shelves, and contents of the house or other affected structure. Common household cleaning products and disinfectants are often used for this task. Moreover, disinfectants and sanitizers may be applied to the ductwork for flooded heating and air conditioning systems. Commonly used disinfectants and sanitizers are often toxic to varying degrees, and use of such products for mold remediation may require extensive post-use ventilation to reduce the concentration of toxic substances in indoor air to safe and comfortable levels. Moreover, these toxic substances may be environmental pollutants. Many of the commonly used disinfectants and sanitizers also have a short effective lifespan for mold prevention or treatment, and therefore a new application may be required if mold or mold growth conditions reappear. This exacerbates the environmental harm caused.
Thus it is highly desirable to take preventative measures to inhibit mold growth under conditions that are otherwise highly suitable for mold growth. An ideal mold prevention agent will have at least the following properties: (1) it will not be toxic to humans, animals, and plants; (2) it will work quickly and efficiently; (3) it will remain effective for a long period of time; (4) it will be easy to use; (5) it will be biodegradable or at least not harmful to the environment; (6) it will not cause the release of toxic or corrosive substances if heated by fire or another source of heat, exposed to moisture or water from flooding, or otherwise affected under common types of natural or artificial disaster situations; (7) it will not migrate from the materials to which it is applied via evaporation or other forms of release; (8) it will not negatively affect the recyclability of materials to which it is applied; and (9) its production, processing, application, and disposal or recycling will not cause significant environmental harms. It may also be desirable to use a mold prevention agent with some or all of these properties for active mold control.
Recent efforts in the development of environmentally-friendly mold prevention and remediation agents have led to the development of various products including Foster Full Defense, MoldSTAT, Boral-20, and Vital Oxide. However, these products have varying degrees of environmental friendliness and non-toxicity, and are not known to be effective over a long period of time.
In addition, U.S. Patent Appl. Publ. Nos. 2007/0275101, 2004/0219128, and 2002/0119207, and PCT Patent Appl. Publ. No. WO 2008/074015 disclose various anti-mold compositions with varying degrees of environmental friendliness, non-toxicity, and long-term stability. However, these products are limited in their scope of use to particular types of applications.
Thus there remains a need for a safe, non-toxic agent for mold prevention and treatment that is effective over a long period of time and can be used in a wide variety of applications.